Norris cautious about victory despite pole, Hamilton says 'it falls apart'

Lando Norris secured his first pole position of the season at the Hungarian Grand Prix, but he is wary of whether he can convert it into a win. The McLaren driver recalled the Miami race in early May, where a strategic misstep by his team allowed Kimi Antonelli to snatch victory.

"You can't just rely on one good qualifying, so I need a good race tomorrow," Norris said. "Then we obviously have a nice summer break, but after that we need to try and repeat it several more times. We've been working hard. We know we've been on the back foot, but we're making progress, and today certainly shows that."

Much attention at the Hungarian Grand Prix has been on Aston Martin's massive upgrade, which has given the troubled team a major step forward and allowed Fernando Alonso to escape Q1 for the first time this season. McLaren's own upgrade went somewhat under the radar, but it has been effective.

Team principal Andrea Stella expressed satisfaction that the upgrades enabled them to fight for pole, which he called an "overachievement," noting factors like McLaren's good execution, Ferrari's underperformance, and possibly Antonelli's and Mercedes' struggles. Ferrari arrived as favourites but failed to deliver.

Lewis Hamilton was fastest after the first runs in Q3 but did not improve on his final lap. He then blocked Norris' teammate Oscar Piastri, earning a three-place grid penalty. Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur took responsibility for not warning Hamilton in time.

The seven-time world champion later posted on Instagram: "Sometimes you just can't catch a break. Another weekend when I've been feeling great throughout all the sessions, but then it just falls apart." Referencing penalties from the previous two races, he added that it's becoming difficult to stay positive.

Norris acknowledged that McLaren's upgrades have helped and the car feels "a little bit quicker." He also noted that the race pace of others looked strong, making it tricky to know how things will go.

Charles Leclerc believes Norris is the favourite, but Mercedes will also be in the fight. At Aston Martin, there was finally reason for positivity after a dark first half of the season. Alonso said the upgrade changed the momentum and gave the team clarity on development targets.

Fernando Alonso, who turns 45 next week, continues to ponder his future in Formula 1. He dislikes the energy management required from this year's engines but trusts Adrian Newey and Honda to eventually produce the best package. The question remains how long that will take and whether it fits his timeline.